Month: May 2013

The RORO Heavy Lift Vessel Aivik Arrived at Pier 29 this morning, and has evidently been sold. Her Canadian Registry has been closed, and she is in the process of Reflagging.

She was owned and Operated by NEAS – Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping, and was a very versitle ship, given her heavy duty 155mt derricks, RORO Ramp and Ice class hull. She is likely being replaced with a Pure container vessel.

NEAS serves the various small communities of the arctic. For More on this Vessel, See Shipfax.

With Yesterdays arrival of CSAV Rungue, the container portion of Atlantic Cartiers run was taken care of. Today Broght the Arival of the Pure Car truck Carrier (PCTC) GRAND BENELUX. Painted in the Colors of the Grimaldi group, She is operated by ACL’s Parent company, and stopped at Autoport to Replace the RO-RO capability that is not available with the container ship.

FGS Planet is here for more then just a visit. As a research vessel she is the german equivalent to our own CSAV Quest. She has some time scheduled on the sound range in Bedford Basin On the 26th from and again overnight on the 27th between 2200 to 0800 on the 28th.

Quest spent some time in Europe last year working on various research projects.

On Sunday, CSAV RUNGUE is scheduled to stop at fairview cove for Atlantic Container Lines.She is likely the charter vessel to replace Atlantic Cartier, which was damaged by fire.

She is a conventional container vessel, without a RO-RO capability. it is likely then that delays will be added to ro-ro cargo on ACL’s schedule. ACL’s schedule also show GRANDE ANGOLA arriving June 10th. She is a Con-ro ship, simalar to ACL’s vessels, and owned by thier parent Grimaldi group.

Today broght the arrival of the Scooner Liana’s Ransom. She is tied up at Sackville Landing. She worked as a tour boat in Halifax Between 2007 and 2010, before heading South and offerign tours out of the British Virgin Islands. She is on her way to Tall Ship Festival in Miramichi NB (http://www.miramichitallships.ca/) May 31 – June 2She will be Joined by PeaceMaker and Unicorn, Both Currently tied up in Lunnenburg, Pride of Baltimore II (Currenlty 90nm SW of Halifax) and HMCS Sumerside, and Theodore II

Liana’s Ransom is an 85 foot, steel hulled schooner built in Houston, Texas. Construction began in 1998, but she was not launched until 2002. She was bought by the current owners in the spring of 2005 in Seabrook, Texas. She was sailed home to Nova Scotia in the fall of 2006, the 2500 nautical mile voyage taking 20 days. Originally designed as a Staysail schooner, she was converted to a gaff rigged, square topsail schooner over the winter of 2006/2007.

Hapag Lloyd today announced taking the delivery of the 13196 TEU Essen Express. She is the 6th of 10 vessels, and is 366m in lenth, and built by Hyundai Heavy Industries at Ulsan, South Korea.

Regulars may recall that Essen Express makes regular calls in Halifax on the PAX Service. In March, the 4,639 teu panamax Essen Express built in 1993 was renamed Boston Express to free the name.

Interestingly, the new vessel is classed as a NeoPanamax, Presumably because she is the largest size that can be accomidated by the new Panama Canal Expansion. Essen Express will be assigned to Loop 5 (Halifax is on loop 1 AZX) of the new G6 Service. Boston Express Will make her first visit to Halifax on May 31.

I Have received unconfirmed reports that Halterm Inc, Operator of the South End container terminal is in Financial Difficulty and has put it self up for sale.

A potential purchaser (Specualtion on my part) could Creres Corp, Operators of the Fairview Cove Terminal. Halterm itself is registered a Privately Held Partnership, so its possible one of the partners may buy it out.